Where do you go for market research?

[Chris-AthenaAnalytics]

Hi All,

My name is Chris and I am one of the co-founders of Athena Analytics.

We cut our teeth in "big business", where market research budgets are plentiful and analytics are used to support major decisions. I know this is a relative luxury in the "small business" world.

So, where do you get market data for your businesses? Do you even consider market research when making big decisions?

Thanks for responding!

Chris

[Fulcrum]

I talk to my customers and try to put myself in their shoes when looking at new products or starting new lines. I don't believe in designing a product before researching, or even testing, the market to see if what I have come up with is a viable product. I feel that this is a waste of both time and money.

[Brian Altenhofel]

Google.

Phone calls or visits to clients or peers that I know will give me an honest evaluation.

Notes from purchases I've made on a client's behalf.

I put all of the quantifiable data in a spreadsheet and then build charts. I do the same when evaluating upstream providers.

[billbenson]

Adwords ad's, website stats. If you are looking to start a new business, write a wordpress website. If you are new to web design, spend a few weeks learning how to write one. No, it won't be professional, but you can still get a lot of good market data between a self made website and online ads. If it looks like you can make a business out of it, have a professional redo the site... You can do this even if the business is brick and mortar. My opinion anyway.

[Harold Mansfield]

Google, SBA, Facebook, and the U.S. Gov provide some good research materials. Google has a crap load of research on mobile, social media, and user behavior on the web.
There's free research out there on just about everything if you look for it.